Save the snotty comments. The Nordic walkers have heard them all.

Where's the snow?

Did you forget your skis?

Are you training for the Winter Olympics?

These athletes are hard to ignore. With a pole in each hand, stabbing at the ground with every stride, Nordic walking aficionados appear out of their element.

Nevertheless, the awkward-looking pursuit is gaining converts on the streets of Honolulu, where tropical snowfall is measured only in shave-ice spills.

It's particularly appealing to older people whose sore knees and feet make workouts a pain.

"I didn't want to do any exercise that would injure my joints, like my knees, and Nordic walking takes weight off and pressure off your hips, knees and ankles," said Betsy Wilson, a 56-year-old Kalani Valley resident.

Wilson started Nordic walking about six months ago. She was working out regularly at a gym and wanted to boost her overall effort. Now she walks with her poles about three times a week, usually for an hour.

"You have to really stand up straight when you're walking," Wilson said. "You have to stand tall and have good posture. It makes your whole body feel better to stand up straight. You breathe better. It opens up your rib cage."

Wilson took her husband, Bob Sumpf, on one of her early walks. Sumpf, a marathoner who has run since the early 1970s, couldn't keep up. So he bought his own poles.

"I got over the geek factor in a hurry," said the 60-year-old Sumpf. "I think it is a legitimate form of exercise. It is better than just walking. It kind of gets you into a rhythm where you are going faster."

The similarities to cross-country skiing are no accident.

Sometimes called "ski walking," "hill bounding" or "ski striding," the activity originally developed decades ago in Finland as an off-season workout for Nordic skiers. Today, an estimated 7 million Europeans regularly use Nordic walking poles, which can cost $50 to almost $200.

"People in Europe, when they go walking, they walk with poles," said Eric Okamura, owner of Fit For Life, an exercise and massage studio in Iwilei. "It is very rare that you see them without them."

Although convinced for years that they were a good exercise, the 50-year-old Okamura only began selling a line of poles locally in February 2005.

And yes, he's heard all the comments, too.

"There is a little dork factor associated with Nordic poles because they are so uncommon, but there are too many health benefits to ignore," he said. "So you let it roll off your back."

The Cooper Institute, which studies fitness and health, found that Nordic walking burned nearly 43 percent more calories than traditional walking.

Okamura said that's because Nordic walking involves more muscles, but he swears that the workout isn't more difficult.

"It is not harder," he said. "Because you are using the poles and it is your upper body supporting your lower body, it doesn't feel like you are working out."

Okamura leads a group of up to 20 Nordic walkers every Thursday afternoon. They walk at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park, Magic Island and around Diamond Head.

"The bulk of my group are seniors," Okamura said. "Using the poles increase stability. They keep them active without the fear of falling."

But you can't discount the feel-good factor.

Pat Wrath, a 57-year-old Aikahi Park resident, learned how to use Nordic poles in February while waiting for the start of the Great Aloha Run. She'd walked the fun run for 18 years and almost always suffered in the days that followed as her body recovered.

"The whole week afterwards, I did not have soreness," she said. "Usually I have a hard time walking, even bending over. My legs, hips and arms. This time, I did not have that stiffness. I am not doing this race again without them."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.